11/15/2005

THE TV show that has spooked millions with its footage of hauntings and poltergeists is today exposed as a fake - by one its own stars.

Resident parapsychologist Dr Ciaran O'Keeffe has sensationally lifted the lid on the ghosthunting series, Most Haunted ... and claims that the public are being deceived by "showmanship and dramatics."

He accuses the show's medium Derek Acorah of hoodwinking viewers by pretending to communicate with spirits and obtaining information about locations prior to filming.

The Mirror has also obtained unedited footage which appears to show presenter Yvette Fielding and her husband faking 'paranormal' occurrences such as ghostly bumps and knocks.

Most Haunted has quickly achieved cult status since it was launched in 2002 and is LivingTV's most successful programme.

Millions of viewers tune in regularly to watch Ex-Blue Peter girl Yvette and her team of ghost hunters spend the night in some of Britain's most haunted locations.

It has made Acorah - who claims to be guided by an Ethiopian spirit guide called Sam - into one of the country's best-known psychics.

Tonight the show will start its biggest ever live vigil, a four-night Halloween special from East London following the murderous trail of Jack the Ripper.

Yvette Fielding has said of the show - which is made by her husband Karl Beattie's production company Antix Productions: "There is no acting in this programme, none whatsoever. Everything you see and you hear is real. It's not made up, it's not acted."

But our investigation reveals how the programme uses careful editing to mislead viewers and, on at least one occasion, has even lied about the location of filming.

Ciaran, a lecturer in the paranormal at Liverpool's Hope University, knows speaking out will probably put an end to his media career... but he believes viewers should know the truth.

He says: "I think it's time to open the dialogue about what I've experienced on Most Haunted. There have been many incidents with the medium that have been brushed under the carpet.

"I was put in the show to give a professional slant to it, to give it an element of credibility, but the sceptical argument is just swept away.

"In my opinion, we're not dealing with genuine mediumship."

He says he isn't the only member of the crew who feels viewers are being cheated.

"Other crew members have been irked by Derek and what's going on, because it turns what should be a serious investigation into a laughing matter."

And our exclusive footage shows other members of the team occasionally forget they are on camera.

One of our clips, later edited out, shows Karl push an unwitting sound man in the dark and pretend it was a poltergeist attack.

In the remaining footage he says (after surreptitiously hitting the soundman): "S**t, did you feel that?"

Yvette: Are you all right? What's happened?

Karl: I felt something touch me on my shoulder.

Soundman: I felt something hit me.

And in another edited clip with medium Ian Lawman, Yvette is seen on camera making a deep sigh. In the scene that eventually went to air, Ian (after Yvette sighs) says: "What's that noise?

Yvette: What noise? Like a moan?

Ian: Breathing or something.

Yvette: I heard like an 'arrggh'.

Ciaran, who joined Most Haunted in April 2004 became suspicious of Acorah's antics on a shoot at Castle Leslie, Co Monaghan in Ireland where a 17th Century four-poster bed has been claimed to levitate.

Ciaran recalls: "As we walked into the bedroom, Derek touched the bed and came out with extremely accurate information.

"He insisted he got all the information just from touching the bed. But it was the wrong bed."

Antix Productions claims the mediums have no idea where they will be filming or know any details about the history of the locations.

But Ciaran says: "Derek must have had prior knowledge of the locations."

He devised a plan to see if Derek was deliberately deceiving the public.

While on a shoot at Bodmin gaol he invented a long-dead South African jailer called Kreed Kafer - an anagram of Derek Faker.

"I wrote the name down and asked another member of the crew to mention it to Derek before filming.

"I honestly didn't think Derek would take the bait. But during the filming he actually got possessed by my fictional character!"

On the next shoot at Prideaux Place, Cornwall, Ciaran made up another fictional character, highwayman Rik Eedles - an anagram of Derek Lies. Sure enough, Derek made contact with the dead outlaw.

Ciaran says: "In my professional opinion we're not dealing with a genuine medium.

"When Derek is possessed he is doing it consciously - all we are seeing is showmanship and dramatics."

Ciaran went a step further at Craigievar Castle, near Aberdeen.

"I made up stories about Richard the Lionheart, a witch, and Richard's apparition appearing to walk through a wardrobe - the lion, the witch and the wardrobe!" True to form, Derek mentioned all Ciaran's stories - even though Richard I reigned 500 years BEFORE Craigievar Castle was built.

The final straw came last month when Most Haunted presented a three-night special from Manchester.

On the second evening, the show claimed to be broadcasting live from the site of Cheadle's Victorian asylum, a place where - according to presenter David Bull - thousands died in torment. In fact they were in the derelict remains of Barnes Convalescence Home - where nobody died in torment.

Ciaran remembers: "Derek was communicating with spirits that sounded as if they'd been in an asylum, but it was never an asylum."

Yesterday the Mirror confronted Derek Acorah with Ciaran's allegations. He told us: "I've worked with Ciaran for many shows and he's got every right to say what he says.

"However, it does shock and surprise me. Not only do I believe that I am a genuine medium - I live my work 24 hours a day. If I thought that I wasn't a true medium, I wouldn't work as one."

A spokesman for LivingTV said: "Ciaran O'Keeffe has worked as the programme's official sceptic for 18 months and during this time has not brought any of his concerns to our attention.

"LivingTV has not seen any of your filmed evidence, but will fully investigate your claims."